• Home
  • Motorcycles
  • Electric Motorcycles
  • 3 wheelers
  • FUV Electric 3 wheeler
  • Shop
  • Listings

Subscribe to Updates

Get the latest creative news from CycleNews about two, three wheelers and Electric vehicles.

What's Hot

Who’s to Blame When AI Agents Screw Up?

The Epic Rise and Fall of a Dark-Web Psychedelics Kingpin

3 Teens Almost Got Away With Murder. Then Police Found Their Google Searches

Facebook Twitter Instagram
  • Home
  • Motorcycles
  • Electric Motorcycles
  • 3 wheelers
  • FUV Electric 3 wheeler
  • Shop
  • Listings
Facebook Twitter Instagram Pinterest
Cycle News
Submit Your Ad
Cycle News
You are at:Home » Free Ride by Noraly Schoenmaker Book Review: Itchy Boots
Motorcycles

Free Ride by Noraly Schoenmaker Book Review: Itchy Boots

cycleBy cycleApril 30, 202505 Mins Read
Share Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
Share
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Email


Taking off on a multinational solo motorcycle adventure ride might be considered a little rash—maybe even crazy—particularly if a lot of planning and preparation didn’t go into it before departure. Looking back, Noraly Schoenmaker, the author of Free Ride—Heartbreak, Courage, and the 20,000-Mile Motorcycle Journey that Changed My Life, agrees.

In the spring of 2019, with her Royal Enfield Himalayan stranded on a hopelessly steep, slippery ascent on a mountain road in Iran, she said out loud in frustration, though there was no one there to answer, “Why am I doing this?”

Noraly Schoenmaker
Noraly Schoenmaker

Of course, she knew the answer, but it was deeply painful and personal. She didn’t need to hear herself say it aloud.

She wasn’t merely embarking on a change of scenery aboard her motorcycle or a long ride just to do something different. No, this journey was therapeutic, transcendent, and transformational. That Himalayan—which she christened Basanti, after the heroine of the 1975 Indian movie, Sholay—carried her to exotic locales over roads rough and smooth, through bitter cold and sweltering heat to a new career, a new way of life, and a new understanding of herself.

Schoenmaker’s odyssey helped her put the agony of betrayal, lost love, a broken marriage, and home in The Netherlands in the rear-view mirror. Her former job as a geologist for a Dutch international dredging company would be replaced by a career of her dreams as a travel writer/blogger/videographer on Itchy Boots, her YouTube channel.


Through facing adversity posed by the elements, technical issues, crashes, breakdowns, physical fatigue and more, she found the skills to solve the problems, the inner strength and tenacity to endure and overcome the challenges. She also experienced the goodness of people across the many nations who helped her, a total stranger and foreigner, no less, out of some tough situations.

A sign of the times we live in, she did experience some vicious threats—primarily online as a result of her YouTube videos. Though those posts bothered her, her grit prevailed, and she kept going.

Her reward for being unintimidated was the incredible panorama of the Hindu Kush mountains, crystalline rivers, and vivid, star-studded night skies over Tajikistan. Despite harrowing mountain roads that challenged her every riding skill, rain-sodden riding gear, frigid winds, and searing heat, she came to the realization that she loved every minute of it. She was born for this. Turning around and giving up was not only not an option, it was not even a consideration. In the crucible of this experience, everything had changed; she had changed.

As Schoenmaker transited the no man’s land between Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan, she realized it:

It was the vastness of the endless mountaintops, near and far, that inspired fear and filled me with a profound sense of freedom. I felt utterly alive in a way I never had before. Apparently, I had to fear losing my life before I could reach this state of being.


Her epic journey began in India, on to Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia, Oman, United Arab Emirates, Iran, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan (from a distance), Kyrgyzstan, and, initially, was planned to reach China and then back to India. However, having gone so far afield, she decided to forfeit the Carnet de Passage deposit paid in India for her Royal Enfield and head home to the Netherlands.

The road took her to Kazakhstan, where a batch of spare parts for the Himalayan awaited, having been ordered in advance. From there, it was a very long trip across the Steppes and into Russia, then into the rolling terrain of Georgia, Armenia, Turkey, Montenegro, Bosnia, Greece, Croatia, Austria, and home in the Netherlands.

Free Ride by Noraly Schoenmaker Book Review: Royal Enfield Himalayan

She and her Royal Enfield Himalayan had traversed 25 countries and 22,370 miles in nine eventful months. While the Himalayan carried scars from the journey’s trials, those trials etched their truest marks on Schoenmaker.

The story in Free Ride is told with unflinching honesty, emotion, and humor. The vivid detail takes you along through the spectacular, seldom-seen parts of the world Schoenmaker traveled and puts you in her place as she encounters each challenge. You’ll ask yourself, “How would I handle this situation?”

Free Ride by Noraly Schoenmaker book review - back cover

Seeing family and friends in The Netherlands may seem like a happy ending, and it was the end of the book. However, it is not the completion of Schoenmaker’s adventure. Stay tuned for her motorcycle voyage on the Pan-American Highway from Tierra del Fuego, across the Darien Gap, and on to Fairbanks.

Free Ride goes on sale June 3, 2025.

Free Ride Fast Facts

Title: Free Ride—Heartbreak, Courage, and the 20,000-Mile Motorcycle Journey that Changed My Life

  • Author: Noraly Schoenmaker
  • Published: First printing 2024; English translation 2025.
  • Format: 271 pages, paperback
  • Publisher: Atria Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster
  • ISBN: 978-1-6680-9249-1 (print); 978-1-6680-9250-7 (e-book)
  • Free Ride Price: $30

 



Source link

Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
Previous ArticleFactor Delivery Meals Review (2025): Tender Salmon, Room to Grow
Next Article Corsair K70 Pro TKL Review: Pro Isn’t Always Better
cycle
  • Website

Related Posts

2025 Fox Raceway National Motocross Fantasy Picks: 7 Fast Facts

May 21, 2025

2025 Triumph Speed Triple 1200 RS Review: Rain Tested

May 21, 2025

Aerofast 25mm Tiedowns Review: 150-Week Test

May 21, 2025
Add A Comment

Leave A Reply Cancel Reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Demo
Top Posts

Who’s to Blame When AI Agents Screw Up?

May 22, 2025

The urban electric commuter FUELL Fllow designed by Erik Buell is now opening orders | thepack.news | THE PACK

July 29, 2023

2024 Yamaha Ténéré 700 First Look [6 Fast Facts For ADV Riding]

July 29, 2023
Stay In Touch
  • Facebook
  • YouTube
  • TikTok
  • WhatsApp
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
Latest Reviews

Subscribe to Updates

Get the latest tech news from FooBar about tech, design and biz.

Demo
Most Popular

Who’s to Blame When AI Agents Screw Up?

May 22, 2025

The urban electric commuter FUELL Fllow designed by Erik Buell is now opening orders | thepack.news | THE PACK

July 29, 2023

2024 Yamaha Ténéré 700 First Look [6 Fast Facts For ADV Riding]

July 29, 2023
Our Picks

2024 Denver Supercross Fantasy Picks and Tips [8 Fast Facts]

bajaj electric RE auto vs tvs electric auto // Bajaj RE tech 9.0 बेहतर है या tvs The king electric

Trump’s Tariffs Are Threatening America’s Apple Juice Supply Chain

Subscribe to Updates

Get the latest news from CycleNews about two, three wheelers and Electric vehicles.

© 2025 cyclenews.blog
  • Home
  • About us
  • Get In Touch
  • Shop
  • Listings
  • My Account
  • Submit Your Ad
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Stock Ticker

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.